Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is aimless. Vision with action will achieve.

Not sure what that quote pertains to, but it made me think, so I thought I would put it up there for the other two people who might read this and want to think about it too.

On to this past week- rough week, lots of training, a large portion of which has been on the bike. The big event of this past weekend was riding the ENTIRE Ironman course. This was the longest ride I had ever done by 30 miles and the heat was intense. We started at Joe's Crabshack and we were doing great at the beginning (of course- thats how all these stories start, right?)... we got to 1694, went down the hill, back up the hill, to 329 and did the turn around (which in my opinion is a complete inefficiency of this course and needs to be corrected- for those of us that are not good on the bike, it is hard to turn around in the middle of the street with other riders doing the same thing!)... anyways, then back down the hill at 1694 in my big ring, and wait, lets change to my small ring to go up the hill... ummm, no- it got stuck and i came to a screeching halt. At the bottom of the hill. With no idea how to fix this impending problem. So, I exit my bike, change my gears a hundred times and pray to God it fixes itself magically... and it does! So I jumped (aka, gingerly hoisted myself back upon) my bike and started back up the mountain that is 1694. So that was saga #1.

Saga #2 wasnt so techinical in nature as it was a directional error and caused us to get off course which you do not want to do when you are already riding 112 miles. We completed the first loop, which put us at about 60 miles in and at that point, we were tired and we just starting to feel the effects of the long ride. BUT, we still had to do the loop again. Surely, we thought, this loop can not be that long! We were EXACTLY sure where to turn, but there were a ton of riders out and sure certain we could follow them or figure it out on our own. I was leading the group (mistake #1,003). So we take a left on 42, ride about 3 miles, I see Old Sligo and I am convinced we are supposed to be on that road (wrong). So I turn, and Jackie and Sarah being the great friends they are, turn with me, even though they were pretty sure I was wrong. We get about a mile or so in and I finally concede that I am incorrect- I can be a little bullheaded. So we turn around, bike back (uphill), out of Old Sligo, and back to 42... another 10-15 miles to Lagrange and 393 and THEN turn left... that starts the loop. So yeah, we got lost, but hey, we rode 115 instead of 112. We should be good to go come Ironman time, right? Ha.

Saga #3 Came about 10 miles after we turned left at 393... my stomach started hurting and the drink that I had banked on working for me totally failed. I had to make a potent mix of it so that I had enough to last me during the entire ride since you cant buy it in gas stations and between the potency, the taste, and the saltiness, it totally messed with my stomach. So yeah, I was feeling sick and queasy. I then decided I was either going to stop or chuck my water bottle in the back of my jersey and the chucking of the water bottle seemed like the less drastic option, so i tried that first. It was full of the bad drink (I dont want to mention the name and ruin it for anyone else). So long story, longer... all I had to drink for the last 50 miles or so was some water and I lost A TON of electrolytes. I got a huge migraine and towards the end, I was delirious I thought. All I wanted to do was get home.

The good news about the whole ride was that I learned a lot about how to pace myself, gears, what it will feel like to be on my bike that long (not good at all), NUTRITION, and mental toughness. I really think i can do that ride again with a lot more ease. There were so many people out there doing it at the same time and everyone was so nice and supportive the whole time, it was amazing! We ran into one guy, Bob, who seemed to be at every gas station we stopped at to give us water and Gatorade- it was amazing! I have found that all of the riders and people training for this Ironman are the most amazingly nice and generous people. If you do an Ironman for no other reason, you could do it to train and meet the most amazing people, because I definitely have!

I dont think I could have run a marathon at the end of that ride, but I will get there and by August 30th, I will be ready, I do know that!

A person fails to reach their potential when they fail to pay the price.

I will apologize in advance for the long post, but its been over a week and two pretty significant training days have gone by, so I want to fill you in (or remind myself years from now)...

A few weekends ago was the Shelbyville Triathlon- Olympic Distance and my first real triathlon I have ever done. To be honest, I lost sleep over this thing. I was terrified about what to wear, how to change in the transitions, what if I ran into someone else's bike coming out of the transition, what if I wore a wetsuit and hated it 200 yards in? I had a million questions (just ask Brian, Curtis, and Mickey). In any case, Jackie, Sarah and I showed up there as TOTAL amatuers sporting our swim suits and bike shorts certain we would mess up somewhere and be the laughing stock of the sport.

So we were told we should swim in wetsuits. The water was a mildly cold (for us swimmers anyways) 70 degrees and EVERYONE had on wetsuits, but I had tested the wetsuit theory the night before and there was no way that was going to work for me. I dont get how constricting your shoulders makes for a more efficient swim. So I opted for my speedo swim suit- pretty standard and I couldnt go wrong. The water was a putrid, standing, sess pool of a pond, cleverly nicknamed "Clear Creek"- we all got a laugh out of that before the start. The guys started 5 minutes before us girls which was rough on Sarah and I because swimming is our strength and we had to pass a lot of those guys on the way out. But we did, we made the turn around the buoy (all of this was head up because you could see NOTHING underwater), and made it back. The whole thing lasted about 22 minutes.

Sarah and I were the first and second women out of the water and not far behind the male leaders either, so that was encouraging! After that, I just pulled on some bike shorts, kept my swim suit on (total rookie, i know), and jumped on my bike. It was painless really and I didnt have the slowest transition time either! So onto the bike, onto a basically flat course, which was awesome for me- I love the flat courses. I averaged 19.6 mph on the course which was far better than I would have dreamed!

Then I had to run. OUCH. This is where I have some work to do. My run splits actually werent that bad (I held just over 8 min miles), but it was painful and my heart rate was really high. There has to be a better way to get my heart rate down without walking- I guess it just takes more training, and running slower- who knows. So I finished pretty strong and ended up third overall for the females- 2 girls passed me during the run, which was fine by me- I was just happy people werent laughing at me!

After I was finished and we were leaving, I called my mom, who said congrats and then asked a pretty poignant question, "What would you have done differently?" Now that I can think about it, I think this is my best answer:

I wouldnt try to take off my bike shoes before I got to my transition carrell thing

I would wear more sunscreen (I didnt think we would get sun that early and I was burnt!)

I might try a few more tricks in the transition area to save me a few seconds, but I dont know what those tricks are

I need to drink more water

For a race like that, as short as it was... I think I did fine and I was pertty happy with it- I would welcome any advice anyone else has!

Help me help my friends...

Well, I got the worst kick in the butt to start my fundraising today... I have prayed and wondered how I should raise funds to support a cause that hits close to home. I have thought about everything and prayed about which cause and which avenue serves both my purposes and those around me the best. So this is what I have decided...

I just received a very sad email from one of my dear friends from high school, Lee. She just got news that her mom was diagnosed with Stage II Breast Cancer. I have signed up to do the Ride to Conquer Cancer in September. This ride is a 150 mile bike ride through Kentucky, spread along 2 days, much like the MS 150 ride I did a Along with this ride, I have promised to raise at least $2,500... I am going to do this in honor of Barbie Thomas (Lee's mom)...

Another of my very good high school friends has dealt with breast cancer with her mom too (Emily). Consequently me, Lee, Emily and many others were all best friends in high school. Emily has lived and traveled all over the world helping others and has recently landed in Africa. She and her group have started The Foundation For Tomorrow. This is a school for those children in need in Africa. Emily has dedicated her life to doing this, lives in Africa full time and she needs our help!

My idea is that every person who knows me, Lee or Emily will want to help in some way, but may feel more of a need to contribute to a cause set up for cancer because of dealing with it in their family, themselves or another loved one. Or, someone else may feel that helping the children in Africa that Emily works with every day may hit home for them. Knowing you are providing shoes to a child who cant afford it, or books to someone who may not know they exist. It may sound cliche, but together we can help a LOT of people.

Take a look at Emily's blog to read more about what she is doing and how we can help, then visit my firstgiving website that we have created and donate!! Every dollar counts!

http://www.firstgiving.com/amymiranda

Below is the link to my Ride to Conquer Cancer website. In Barbie Thomas's honor (and everyone else you know who has had or who is dealing with cancer), let's raise as much money as we can.

http://www.ridetovictory.org/site/TR/Events/2009Kentucky?px=1015721&pg=personal&fr_id=1030

To honor both causes, I am going to compete in the following events (if you want to donate a dollar or penny for every mile, it will quickly add up!):

July 18th- Cardinal Harbour Half Ironman- 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13,1 mile run
August 30th- FORD IRONMAN LOUISVILLE- 2.4 miles swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run
September 26-27- Norton Ride to Conquer Cancer- 150 miles bike over 2 days

The goal is to still be standing when I am finished, but I know my motivation will be knowing that the pain I experience over the next few months will be NOTHING compared to what Barbie Thomas and the children in Africa go through every day.

ALSO- want to get some extra BANG for your buck?? Put your company logo on my jersey!! I have some coveted spots that will be up for grabs on my cycling jersey, as well as my marathon jersey. This will get FULL exposure time, as I promise to be on the course for many, many hours... (this race is expected to take 15 hours or so). Pricing for jersey advertising is as follows:
**I need to know by June 20th if you want to be a corporate sponsor as I have to order the jerseys...

Bike Shirt: (click here to see an example)
Large logo $1000
Small logo $500

Bike short: (click here to see an example)
$500

Marathon Jersey:
Large $1000
Small $500

The steeper the mountain the harder the climb the better the view from the finish line...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ragbcOPm_w&feature=related

Jackie sent me this link yesterday and I thought I would share. Basically, an Ironman inspirational video showing and pain and suffering and ultimately about .01 seconds of how great it is to finish. I love the video, but seeing people struggle to stand up, passed out on the side of the road, and looking completely capacitated makes me a little more nervous than I was yesterday. Heck, yesterday was easy...

So I FINALLY had a day off of training (the full day, not just the morning or afternoon)... it was amazing and much needed. I dont even remember the last time I have taken a full day off- maybe 2-3 weeks ago? In any case, it was needed mentally, emotionally, and mostly, physically. This has been a light week of training and it comes at a much needed time.

This morning I did a nice "Ghost Ride" as Justin likes to call it... a couple of us met at 6 AM to ride early before work. Although I was supposed to ride easy and on a flat course, we ended up riding Wolf Pen, Sleepy Hollow and 1694 twice, so it was a hard ride, no matter how slow and easy i tried to go. It was good to be back on the bike though and fun to ride with Robert, Justin and Brian!

This weekend is the Shelbyville Triathlon... really the first full triathlon I have ever done (aside from the IronKids when I was about 10). It is .93 miles swim, 24.8 bike, and 10K run (6.6 miles). While I am really excited to get to do the full triathlon, I am a little nervous about the fact that I have NO experience on transitions, clothing, etc. The sports i can do, the preparation, how to set up, the rules, what to wear- wetsuit or no wetsuit? What do I wear under the wet suit? Do you change clothes? It's all a study in logistics and can be very difficult (probably not as difficult as I make it).

I am sure I will take pictures and I will keep you posted... pun intended.

Link for Shelbyville Triathlon- maps, results, etc.

There is advantage in the wisdom won from pain" -- Aeschylus

I guess there is an advantage won from pain. Aeschylus was smart when he spoke those wise words back in 200 b.c. or whenever it was he lived (does anyone know who he is?)... In any case, I experienced quite a bit of pain this past weekend, not because I biked for a long ass time (ass taken literally in this sense), but because when I bike, I get nervous and when I get nervous, my brain goes blank and apparently I forget how to stop my bike at stop lights and I tip over and fall off on occassion, so yeah, I fell a few times. I have the bruises to prove it. But I did finish and I did learn a lot. Let me back up...

Last weekend was our MS 150 ride from Churchill Downs (home of the KY Derby, you will see a horse theme here)... through Louisville (for longer than anticipated) to Frankfort via a lot of back winding roads. The first day was beautiful, but extremely long, thanks in large part to my inability to follow directions and thus, we (Sarah and I- Jackie was smart and stayed with the group) got lost. We went about 10 miles out of our way on day 1 making it an 85 mile ride, totaling about 5 hours and 30 some odd minutes, not counting the stops. Needless to say, we were tired. Oh yeah, and we were just halfway there. I wanted to go home. BUTTT (no pun intended), we stuck it out, stayed in a nice little Holiday Inn Express on Saturday night and got up nice and early to set out on our voyage from Frankfort's Solato Wildlife Forest or something to KEENELAND- aka, the finish line. Day 2 was awesome. Really, it was. We started off with a nasty hill- and horses and hills seemed to be the theme for the day, but it was a great time for me to learn more about my bike, how to climb hills, use my gears correctly and still enjoy the most beautiful scenery that Kentucky has to offer. I met some amazing people with awesome stories along the way and I hope I am able to keep up this theme over the next couple of months!

After we finished the ride, we were all tired and worn out, but I have to say, other than my butt being sore, I have recovered rather quickly and I was able to ride yesterday and swim this morning. I am extremely glad I finished the ride with Sarah and Jackie, who were way more tough than me. I know I would have been mad if I would have thrown in the towel after the falls and frustrations of getting lost. I dont feel too bad and I am hoping to can gear up to do a good triathlon this weekend!

Below are some of the pictures from the weekend- I hope you enjoy them almost as much as we enjoyed the ride!!

There is advantage in the wisdom won from pain" -- Aeschylus

The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn't matter...

86... This quote reminds me of a song by Rascal Flatts- "God Bless the Broken Road..." I seem to never really know what my next goal is until I make it, then set out like a bat out of hell to accomplish it. Then I get ADD and forget what it is that I am doing, get discouraged, need some help, etc., but eventually I get back on track, all a part of this long, twisted road, the broken road. This Ironman Training is no different. It occupies more brain space than I ever dreamed I had and its exhausting and I never ever in a thousand years would have dreamed that I would want to do this one day, but this long, broken road has brought me here and God has blessed me with the seeming ability to do it! Now I just have to finish these last 86 days...

Yesterdays training was supposed to be another 2.5 hour long run, but blisters on my feet, shooting pains in my knees and hips, and an all around wore out body shortened that run to about an hour. Which by all accounts to any normal person is still a great run, but I still felt very guilty about only running 6 miles... what is wrong with that logic?



85... Today was a "recovery" designed with just a longer, easier swim in mind, mostly gearing up for what will promise to be a long weekend of butt discomfort. I will be sitting on my bike for 150 miles from Churchill Downs to Keeneland, stopping overnight in Frankfort KY. Why, you might ask- great question... See the link below and please donate to my cause...



http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/amiranda



The ride is designed to be a fun, easy ride, but there I get so uptight and nervous on my bike that I sometimes miss the fun part- the sightseeing, the horses frolicking in the field all around us, the conversations all around me because I cant ride close enough to those around me and still be comfortable. Obviously being scared on the bike is a common theme here. I am hoping this weekend cures some of that.







Stay tuned for more updates Sunday or Monday (Sunday, I will most likely be on my butt asleep when I get home!)

"All the miles of a hard road are worth a moment of true happiness"

So this is my third attempt at figuring out which forum is best suited to update everyone on our progress for the Ironman training. I think this might be the easiest and the best way to add graphics, which will become increasingly important as I feel the need to display pictures of us tired, worn out, crashing our bicycles, etc.

For previous posts (and by previous, I mean a long time ago), see the other website:

www.allyouhavetodoistri.com

It was my attempt at a blog, but it was too hard and failed me. I need computer simplicity! Thanks Google.

So my posts will hopefully look something like this:

• Daily Quote/Title


• Recap of the previous workouts, activities of the past few days


• Other funny topics that come up- keep in mind, I laugh at my own jokes, so what is funny to me, probably wont make much sense to you and will likely be jokes only those of us involved will get, but hey- this is for us anyways.

For those of you who want to see the training program we (as in Sarah, Jackie and I) have been following, take a look at this website- great information and its an awesome training schedule for us "working adults"- I use that term loosely.

http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon/ironman-workouts/

To parlay into what I have already written (sorry, this is confusing and I am doing this for my own benefit, not yours), below is what I wrote on Facebook this week to outline my week in training and my transition from the above training program to Curtis's new training program (which is currently kicking my a$$).

So in the last 3 months of this craziness that has been my life since Thanksgiving, aka, signing up for Ironman Louisville, I am going to try to keep notes, quotes, and training updates so people can follow my progress on here. Check back soon, as I am partnering with one of my best friends to raise money for a great cause and will need your help

90 days... 6/1/09 "They told me it was impossible, I told them it was inevitable"...

89... 6/2/09 "Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible."

This was a tough day- Sunday, we had a 2.5 hour run, which normally I would follow up with a lot of rest, swimming, maybe some biking, but not another long run until the next weekend. Well, I have switched programs and Curtis is now coaching me and he has different ideas (crazy ones). He had me run another 2.5 hours this day. I ran it on my own which is another first. I typically like to talk a lot to keep my mind off the pain that is pulsating through my body as I run, but i am having to learn to get around that. I wont have a partner at the end of the Ironman- dangit....

88...6/3/09 "Fear is probably the thing that limits performance more than anything - the fear of not doing well, of what people will say. You've got to acknowledge those fears, then release them." --Mark Allen

On this note- I will just put it out there, I fear the bike. Yes, I do have to ride quite a long way on a contraption that could end my life, which sucks. So tonight, after a nice, relaxing swim at the Blairwood with Dave and Colin this morning, Curtis will be teaching me how to not end my life while riding my bike. Basically, a bike training class, but for me, more like a life safety class. You know those lifeguarding classes we went to 16 to get our certification, not paying much attention, because of course we were expert swimmers? Well, there are also those kids that go to those classes and hang on every word because they are saving their own life, not even knowing how to swim. That is me and this "bike skills class". I'll let you know how it goes...

87... 6/4/09 "All the miles of a hard road are worth a moment of true happiness"

So we completed the bike skills class which was done mostly inside because of Kentucky weather. Its 90 and sunny, then a storm blows through and its 65 and cloudy 30 minutes later... The major life lesson- Learn to trust the people around you, be able to change your own tire (this is a tough one- thats what boys are for) and BE PREDICTABLE. So to sum all this up, I am going to great lengths to learn all there is to know about biking because this road is so long- 112 miles. We will spend the most time on it in the race and its the easiest event to improve on. The run will be an complete wild card on race day. Hopefully these miles along the hard road are worth the moment of true happiness at the finish line!